When the Sky is Falling
by Decki
Summary: Hikari comes to the island to make a new life for herself. She soon finds out that she can only escape the pain for so long. WizardxHikari. Slight fluff. Plenty of drama. Some mature content.
1. Arrival

_**Decki: I am soooooo sorry for how short this is. I just really wanted to get a chapter out tonight. I promise to have a good one out tonight before I go to bed. Reviews are welcome and I always appreciate ideas, though the gist of the story is already planned out. ^-^ Please enjoy.**_

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Hikari stepped off the boat, relieved the trip was finally over. Her legs wobbled a bit as she walked down the ramp to the docks. The waves had been every bit as bad as the captain had said they would be. She turned and gave a friendly wave to the man in the blue suit. She wouldn't soon forget how he had pulled so many strings to get her to this island.

Every other captain had told her that a boat to the island was too much of a gamble. Few people were making it more than halfway there before the storms drove them back. They said they didn't mind the bad waves, the fear of coming into the docks at night was enough to keep them from running ships to the small island town. The lighthouse wasn't working and the slightest wrong move could have been catastrophic. She knew she shouldn't blame them, but she had been frustrated. She finally came to the small boat on the farthest end of town.

At the beginning he had been reluctant, he knew the dangers. She had begged and pleaded, but it seemed he was determined to stay away from the island. She still flushed to remember how her eyes had begun to water. It was a blessing in disguise as it turned out. The tears seemed to break his resolve and after explaining several times the dangers of the trip, he helped her onto the small white ship and they were off.

The waves had battered the small boat, but by some miracle it stayed floating. Hikari had clutched onto her one bag of clothing until the tossing and turning seemed to slow. She looked around, finally opening her eyes for the first time in what seemed like forever. The sun was beating down on the planks of the deck.

The captain had explained that things had been wrong with the island lately, and that the mayor was desperate for anyone that could possibly help. She nodded; That would explain the brochures that had been handed out in the town square. No one in the city seemed to take it seriously; They had said that the small town wasn't fixable, that it was too far gone. When she saw the pictures, she had already made up her mind. It looked perfect. Hikari hated the rush of the city. She hated how everyone seemed in such a hurry to get nowhere.

She needed to get away.

There were so many other things Hikari knew she was also running away from, but she made a personal promise to forget all the other things she was leaving behind. She had made a resolve while packing her bag that she would tell people she just wanted to make a change for the better. She hadn't been a bit surprised that all the things she was packing fit into one small backpack. She was actually pretty glad, it was easier to leave that way.

She lifted the bag over her shoulder and gave one final nod to Pascal before heading to Town Hall. The mayor had been sure to give her specific directions, he sounded overjoyed that someone had finally called.

After he had showed her around and worked out the payment plan for the house she tended to the few crops the villagers had been nice enough to start for her. Once it was finally time for her to lay down she tossed her dirty clothes into the corner of the room and jumped into the unfamiliar, yes still inviting, bed.

Hikari put her hands behind her head and sighed. This was her new life, she refused to live in the past anymore. There was no one here that could hurt her. She was here to better herself. Her eyes kept getting heavier. She eventually fell asleep with thoughts of self assurance running through her mind.


	2. Doubt

_**So I guess I didn't get this out before I went to bed last night... . I tried really hard, but then I realized I had to try to make a really long chapter to make up for the really short first one. I hope this does it. Enjoy!**_

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Hikari's life didn't exactly get easier as she adjusted to her new life on the small island.

The ranchers of the island were kind enough to give her one of their newborn calves. She adored the small brown animal, which she chose to name Beffie. The name had just come to her while walking home with Cain and her new friend. She had always wanted some sort of animal. She had assumed she would have just gotten a dog or something, but a cow was wonderful as well. It was all for the best though; at least now her 'pet' could offer another form of income. She nodded as Cain explained the care basics, there was a lot more to brushing the animal than she had thought. For the thousandth time she doubted her ability to ever learn how to be a decent farmer. An animal was a much bigger responsibility than the plants she took care of, at least they would only wilt if she forgot to water them. An animal could get sick and even die if she messed up the slightest bit. She shook the thoughts from her head and took over brushing. It felt nice, natural. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard for her after all. Hikari placed a huge order of fodder with Cain, since she still had some things to do and didn't have the time to run all the way back to the ranch. He nodded as she handed over the gold. After he left she sighed. She had used up pretty much all her money on the fodder. The pouch was pretty much empty now. She glanced over at her calf, who was happily munching on the thing of fodder Cain had brought over to show her how to hand feed. At least she could try to ease her mind knowing Beffie wouldn't go hungry anytime soon. She mumbled a quick prayer that she would have enough money to buy more when the time came. There wasn't much she could do though, her crops wouldn't be done for a few days and the few mushrooms around her house weren't going to bring in quite enough for her to be able to eat. She decided to wander into town, hopefully one of the people in town had something she could do.

She stood in front of the Clinic's door, her hand hovering just above the door knob. She bit her lip and considered what she was doing. Did she really want them to already think she couldn't work on the farm? What if they thought she was giving up and pursuing other careers. She sighed and looked down, she couldn't do it after all. She'd just have to see what she could do with the mushrooms. She sulked back towards her ranch, ignoring the smells of the town. She ate a meal that would be more so considered a snack than dinner and lay down for sleep.

She awoke to a tinkling light. Thinking a lightning bug had somehow slipped through the cracks in the roof,she rolled towards the wall.

"Hey! Hey, you!" a small voice chimed. Hikari's eyes shot open as she squeaked and pulled the blankets to her chest.

That was the night she met Finn. She never imagined she'd be the one to believe in fairies, and especially not see them. She had to pinch herself when he took her to the Harvest Goddess. Sure, she prayed every now and again, but those were more just wishes; nothing more. She didn't think she was actually praying to someone she could talk to, to see, and apparently save. She had thought quietly to herself that the Goddess was just as beautiful as everyone said she was, but as the conversation wore on she could see the signs of the tragedy Finn was ranting about. Her eyes appeared dull and listless, her robes lay still, and her pale skin that should have been shining brightly appeared to be fading. Hikari immediately agreed to help them, though she knew nothing about the bells or where they might be.

Her days began to blur into one big mess. She often lost her train of thought. Some days she would run home from across town thinking she had to feed her animals, only to find them munching happily. A few plants got watered twice, and more often than not she had to get out of bed to complete some task she had sworn she would do. She had little time for people, though she became close friends with Kathy. At first she wasn't sure why Kathy spent so much time around the mining district, but she soon found Kathy's eyes would always make their way to Owen. Kathy had blushed and tried to deny it, but Hikari soon dragged it out of her. She swore not to tell, so long as Kathy helped her whenever she needed it. Hikari knew she probably would never be able to make use of the promise, since Kathy was unable to see Finn or the Goddess, therefore could never help her with the supernatural going ons.

Hikari made easy work of the red, yellow, and blue bells, though she had nearly thrown a fit when Chloe had kicked the bell into the fireplace, or when she had trouble finding the three spots she had to put the yellow bell in. The blue bell had just been time consuming, having to buy and raise a duck, but they had all been fairly easy. The Green Bell was giving her some trouble though, after getting into the forest she ran into Luke.

"Erm...Hello?." She was uncertain if this was Dale's son, the one that was missing.

"Oh, hey there! Are you here to get some wood too?" He had chirped.

"No, I mean...uh.. Your dad he was-"

"Well, don't chop too much down, you have to leave some for us professionals!" His grin was so big she couldn't bring herself to correct him, he'd probably think she was crazy if she told him that was looking for the Witch anyway. He walked off confidently, ax thrown haphazardly over his shoulder. She made a mental note that he might be a good man to get to know. It would always be nice to have someone she could convince to give her a deal on fixing up her junk house.

She cautiously knocked on the door, partially because she was afraid who would answer and partially because the door looked pretty old and she was afraid she would knock it off its hinges.

"Maybe the Witch moved?" Hikari threw the suggestion out hopefully.

Finn shook his head, "The people would have known about that, she's always causing some sort of mischief."

Hikari sighed in defeat, she slowly cracked the door open, peering inside. She squeaked and threw herself back as a pink frog jumped at her. Finn cracked up laughing.

"Are you scared of frogs, Hikari?"

"Hush Finn! You'd scream too if something jumped at you like that."

After several minutes of teasing and the frog croaking rather loudly, Finn suggested that they go see the fortune teller the townspeople occasionally whispered about. Hikari sighed, even more supernatural problems to deal with? She slumped her shoulders and began the long trek back to her ranch, she at least had to change her clothes before heading into town. Falling down in the swamp mud hadn't left her smelling quite like roses.

After changing her clothes she did her finishing chores a tad bit early, unsure of exactly how long this was going to take. She strolled slowly, not in any big hurry to mess around with the bells, she breathed in the sweet scent of summer. It was only mid summer, but Hikari felt she had been at the island for at least 2 years. Doing all the running she had to do made her feel exhausted. She never caught up on her sleep. She would stay up until the moon was nearly gone; hidden behind the treetops, and wake up as the sun was rising. Still, she climbed the hill to the town, climbed the even steeper hill to the Wizard's house and stopped in front of the door. His house seemed so cold, so uninviting. It sent chills up her spine. She held her breath and glanced towards Finn for reassurance. He nodded and sat on her shoulder. She didn't bother knocking, Finn had explained enough during the walk here, so she knew he wouldn't have answered. She pushed the heavy door open and looked around. The inside was so...there was no word to describe it. It didn't feel homey, but it didn't exactly feel as cold as the outside of the house. There was the faint smell of something, but she couldn't place it. She found the Wizard seated behind his desk, leafing through a book slowly.

"Yes...?"

"I... I need help with finding the Witch." She blurted.

"Was there.. a frog?"

Hikari listened, her eyes wide with surprise as the Wizard explained the ingredients he would need to change the Witch back. She already had the Hibiscus flower, she had kept it around because she thought it would bring her good luck. She sadly handed it over, she loved how pretty it was. She nodded her head slightly, it was for the good of the island, for her new home. The other ingredients she could have within a few days. She told the Wizard she would be back and turned around. He merely hmph'd and went back to his book.

She closed the door softly behind her, that went well. She was relieved that this wasn't going to be as difficult as she originally thought.

She was right, it hadn't taken her long to get the other ingredients. The Witch was mad at first, but at least she gave her the bell. Hikari grimaced, mentally tacking on an extra note to avoid the Witch Princess. The Wizard had disappeared quickly enough, hardly even giving her a second glance. She pouted inwardly, she had hoped they could be close friends. She sighed and made her way across the small bridge to the forest. She tried to maintain a decent conversation with Finn, but that was nearly impossible; He was just too excited about ringing the Green Bell. While walking back, something caught her eye. At first she had just thought it was Finn's normal usually sparkly self, but after checking again, she realized there was something in the grass sparkling. She kneeled down and began to pull the grass away gently. It was a mushroom... a purple and pink mushroom. She groaned, what else could she possibly run into that wasn't normal? She stashed it in her bag and told Finn to remind her to take it to Wizard in the morning after her chores.

After ringing the bell, she met the Mayor's son. He seemed nice enough, he just seemed a bit too difficult to break through too. Almost unreachable. A lot like Chase actually. She tapped her lip thoughtfully, wondering how she was ever going to make friends with these people when so many of them acted like... well, acted like Hikari had acted in the city. She absent-absentmindedly finished her chores and headed towards Fugue Forest. She was determined to find another mushroom like the one she had found, besides, the Wizard didn't even know she was coming so its not like she could be late. After a few hours of smashing rocks and pulling weeds, she emerged from the forest victorious. Ignoring the grime that covered her skin she stumbled into town. She was far too tired to care what the people were going to think of her. After entering the Wizard's house, she found herself standing face to face with the white-haired man. She blushed four shades of red before shaking her head to clear her self-image out of her mind. She smoothed her hair with one hand and let the other rest on her side. He remained stoic.

"Is there..something you need?"

Hikari nodded and pulled out the mushroom. She noted that his eyes widened when she pulled it out. A small smile graced his face and she found herself blushing again.

"You found one..." He gently took it from her hand, which had become unusually sweaty.

"Yeah..I did. But, eh, can you tell me what it is exactly?" She found herself staring at her feet. _What is happening to me? _

"This..is very valuable." Her eyes widened, thinking of finally being able to repair her house. She chanced a look at his face, and decided otherwise. He was obviously interested in it. It would be rude to show him it and then take it away.

"It's a Fugue Mushroom...would you like it back?" He held it out to her, regret flashing across his face before returning to his normal emotionless stare. She almost considered it, the image of a sparkly new house dancing in the back of her mind, but the idea of having at least one friend that she didn't have to work hard for was far more valuable. The house could come later. She shook her head and pushed it back towards him.

"You can make better use of it than I can, I'm assuming." He nodded slightly and smiled.

"Thank you... I love this." Her heart raced, beating in her chest. _This is not happening..._

She rushed a quick goodbye, leaving the poor man with a slightly shocked expression on his face, as she rushed out the door. If there were ever a more embarrassing way to leave, there should be an award for it. Finn was just as startled. He had barely gotten out of the door before she had slammed it shut. His little wings tinkled as he darted in circles around Hikari's head.

"What do you think you're doing! I could have been squished!" His arms flapped wildly.

Hikari apologized under her breath and started to walk back to her shanty of a house. _He just reminds me too much of..._ She swore under her breath, worried Finn might hear and ask what she meant by it, thankfully the little Sprite stayed resting on her head. She chewed on her lip, something she hadn't done in quite a while.

_I guess things are about to get more difficult... I should have never come here._

She thought of the small Sprite dozing peacefully and felt a pang of regret for the sudden statement, but she really wasn't ready to deal with this sort of thing. It was too soon. It was something she was running from. She wanted to end it right there. Promise herself that she wasn't going back, that she would cut off contact with the attractive white haired Wizard... yet..

_Maybe...I'll just visit him one more time tomorrow...Just one more time._


	3. Fear

_**I really hope this came out the way I wanted it too, I wrote it really late at night... Well Enjoy! -Decki**_

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Never had Hikari's mind been so tired. Though her body was adjusting well to the animal care and tedious animal care, she was mentally exhausted. She had too many problems and not nearly enough solutions.

Her crops had finally brought her out of her current money funk, and she had finally paid off her pathetic hut. That was one problem out of the way that merely opened the flood gates to a flood of other house related issues. There was a hole in the roof that was slowly getting bigger, she woke up with fresh bug bites daily. She was also starting to feel cramped. She had bought some furniture on a whim and greatly regretted the decision. There was little room to room her things around. Those problems were all so trivial, so easily fixable. She found herself forcing her mind to stay focused on these unimportant problems. She forced her mind away from the main issue, distracted herself with nothing in particular. The one thing she didn't care to think about...

_Wizard._

She was hooked. She scolded herself every time she found herself wandering towards the woods. She reminded herself that she would only pop in for some wood and some toadstools to ship. Yet, she still found herself glancing out of the corner of her eyes, searching for the glimmer of those beautiful mushrooms. She further cursed at herself when she picked them up- Swearing that she was only grabbing it to sell so she can fix up her house. Mentally, she gave up the fight as she found herself climbing the cobblestone hill towards his house. By the time she stood in front of his door, her will power was defeated.

He fascinated her.

He was too mysterious. He was a book with a beautiful cover that she just had to read. She had to know what he was about, what those captivating multicolored eyes hid.

This continued for the remainder of the summer. She would hand him her finds and he would smile. She tended to hang around for a few hours. She enjoyed watching him work, some days he would maintain his telescope. Others he would read books about various potions and theories. She tried to read over his shoulder, but she usually couldn't keep up. He flipped through the pages very fast. She enjoyed what she could get out of the books though. They usually didn't talk, that was okay, she preferred it that way. It kept things simple, words were so easy to read too much into to. Not that she didn't read into things, far from it. It kept things simple in terms of words, but her mind was always reeling.

_Did he just look at me? Did he say something and I missed it? Of course not... Maybe I'm annoying him. Say something, ask something...Anything._

Hikari opened her mouth, then close it. She thought about mentioning her birthday tomorrow, but thought better of it. She didn't want to seem like she was implying for him to come, or maybe she was afraid that he'd want to come? She nibbled on her bottom lip as her mind took off on the next wild ride.

_He probably wouldn't want to be bothered with something like that... Human birthdays. They must seems so strange to him, but I guess when you live forever there's really no reason to celebrate one simple year. _

She sighed, she could never just let her life be simple. Sure, she ran away from things in the city because they were difficult, but what had she really run to? The entire island depended on her, yet no one knew. It was only her and Finn... and the Wizard, and indirectly the Witch. She let a little smirk flash across her chapped lips. So she wasn't entirely as alone as she thought she was.

She snuck a quick peek at his face. He seemed entirely absorbed in his book. She was beginning to give in to that small voice in the back of her mind that was telling her that there was _something_ about this man that drew her to him. She was beginning to admit there was a _small_ part of her that was wondering what it would like to kiss him. She shook her head, startled by the sudden thought. The Wizard looked up lazily, a hint of curiosity played across his face. Hikari flushed, fumbling for an explanation.

"Am I annoying you?" Her voice came out cracked and desperate. He just turned back to his book. Her heart fluttered, a small pinprick of hurt making its way to her chest.

"I actually... quite enjoy the company." He stood, not quite slowly but by no means in a hurry. "Let me..thank you." He led her to the table in the middle of the room. She had seen his crystal ball before, but had never stopped to consider that he actually used it. She understood now why all the townspeople called him a fortune teller.

"Who are you... interested in?" He placed his hand on the ball. Her face once again became hot as she searched for the right words. His eyes seemed happy, light reflecting off the ball seemed to dance across his face. It was an intoxicating sight. She tried to take a mental picture to reflect on later... Not that she would... but, _just in case. _After a few moments in silence he reworded his question.

"Who is your... closest friend?"

Hikari knew the answer to that one immediately, her and Kathy didn't talk as much anymore, and Luke had easily slipped into the position of best friend. He greeted her enthusiastically and was more than glad to discuss whatever was on her mind. After relaying the information to Wizard his gaze seemed to intensify on the small ball. The air heated considerably as she saw the energy rippling the air around them. She couldn't have stepped away if she wanted to, she was rooted in place. After what seemed like an eternity the energy seemed to die down. The goosebumps remained on her arms for hours. She had soaked up the information Wizard had given her. Luke thought was an interesting person, that was good right? It would be awful to have friends that thought she was boring. She had remembered the look on Wizard's face as they had said good night. She wished she could read him better. It was driving her insane with these simple flashes of emotion. They were quick enough to miss if you blinked at the wrong time. It had taken her an entire season just to catch the first twitch of his lips when she asked a question about the foreign languages scribbled in the margins of his notes. As she walked home she breathed deep. The air smelled wonderful. In the city she couldn't breathe well, there were too many awful smells. People were too close, there were too many jarring noises. She shuddered remembering all the unhappy people. Her spine tingled at the thought of one of the unhappiest. It never failed to make her heart skip beats, to make her chest ache, and her breathing feel labored. The sweet summer air no longer seemed so crisp. It seemed so smothering, so heavy. She kneeled down on the rough rocks and tried to catch her breath to no avail. Her throat felt thick, swollen. Panic was squeezing her chest, wrapping her in its cool arms. Her eyes began to water as they darted frantically looking for someone to save her. Blackness began to creep into the corners of her eyes, slowly taking over her vision. Her mind screamed in terror while her mouth became dry. The sound of her hoarse breathing began to dull, sounding further and more muffled as the seconds slowly ticked by. There was nothing she could do, she didn't know what was happening.

_Nothing is simpler... It always comes back. _

Then there was nothing.


	4. Truth

**Well... I tried to leave off on some sort of cliff hanger, ending chapters has always been a weak point of mine... As well as not making a story with billions of tons of random drama. . Well, here you go. -Decki**

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_The darkness was nice. There was nothing she had to think about here. There were no chores to do, no memories to remember, no feelings to feel. She soaked it up, feeling nothing at all. She felt like she could have been happy, she just didn't want to try. It didn't last long; not nearly as long as she would have liked. Soon there were pictures, flashbacks, feelings. They rushed over her, drowning her in all the memories she tried to force from her mind. _

"_There's no reason to be so sad all the time Hikari..." He said, pulling the frowning girl's face up towards his._

"_It's just so... There just doesn't seem to be a point to all the movement here, its tiring. Someday I just want to run away, as far away as I can get." _

"_Why would you want to do that? Is everything here so horrible?" He met her eyes, searching for the feelings hidden behind her amber eyes. _

"_Well... I guess not **everything**..." She mumbled as she pulled closer, shivering in the cold winter air._

"_That's more like it... I love you Hikari."_

"_I love you too..." _

She felt someone poking her arm. She tried to ignore it, she wanted to just stay asleep. She ignored it as long as she could, the poking continued. She scrunched her face up, unable to fully control her movements. She pulled her arms up above her head and yawned rather loudly. After finishing a few minutes of stretching, she finally bothered to look around. She flushed as she saw Doctor Jin and Luke staring at her with bemused expressions. Her mouth shut abruptly and she suddenly became very interested in the small chicken shaped stain on the ceiling.

Jin was the one who ended up breaking up the silence, "So... You're with us now?" He glanced down at the papers in his hand. "It appears you just had a panic attack, these files say that you have had them before?"

Hikari gave on quick nod and began chewing on her lip. Jin lectured her on the necessary precautions to avoiding stress related problems while she signed her discharge papers. Luke just stood quietly in the corner, observing the exchange. She dreaded hearing what he had to say, she prepared herself for his input on the situation, which she was sure she would hear for quite a long while. She was glad to be out of the hospital bed, though she couldn't remember being in it. She hated hospitals with a passion. Luke walked closely behind her as she reached for the door. He jumped in front of her and pulled the door open for her, placing his hand on the small of her back as he led her out. His touch felt strange, like it wasn't right. She walked out of his reach quickly and turned to face him, mentally reaching for some excuse.

"Well, I really have to get home: my animals are probably worried, and the plants really need to be watered..." She blurted. Her body tensed realizing that wasn't exactly a lie. Luke shook his head, a look of determination burning in his eyes.

"Let me try my hand at it, you at least need one day off. You can stay inside and relax. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I let you work yourself to death?"

She put her hand to her face, not feeling comfortable doing nothing for an entire day.

"Just, here, lets say its for me? I want to know what it's like working on a farm anyway, it could come in handy someday." Hikari looked up at him, wondering why he would possibly need farming skills.

A few hours later, Hikari was pacing around her house. There was a steaming cup of tea cooling on the table, yet she still felt uneasy. Was she forgetting something? She flipped through books, tried laying down, even tried flipping through the television channels, but nothing seemed to extinguish the burning feeling that she was forgetting to do something. After a few more rounds of pacing the house, she checked her calendar.

…_? I slept that entire day away? Its nearly... its 7 'o' clock! Wizard!_

She ran to her fridge, pulling out one of her spare Fugue Mushrooms, relieved she wasn't crazy for keeping a few extra in case she didn't feel like heading out to Fugue Forest if he ever decided to ask her for one. She ran out the door, passing a thoroughly confused Luke and a slightly annoyed cow. Hikari slurred a quick 'be back soon' and took off towards town. She wondered why it was so important to see him everyday, she was finally starting to admit she had some form of a girlish crush on him... but she was certain it was just a slight infatuation. She pondered if she had just gotten used to it; maybe she had to see him simply because she loved having a list of things she did every day. Wake up, do farm chores, see Wizard. Sleep. Repeat. It made much more sense than what she suspected to be the real reason...

_It's only because he..._

Her thoughts were cut short as she skidded to the ground. _I really have to start paying more attention when I'm walking._ She brushed the dirt off her knees and palms, hoping she wouldn't look too ridiculous to Wizard. She decided a quick walk would better suit her current balance and took off at a fairly quick pace. She knocked on the door timidly before cracking it open. She was normally here before noon, it seemed so strange to be in the house so late. It was much darker, that was a given. It also seemed so... _cold?_

"Hello...?" She looked around near the desk where she usually found him reading. After peeking around she finally stepped into the house, gently closing the door behind her. She walked softly, she almost felt like she was sneaking. She came to a large staircase, deciding this would probably be the most logical place for him to be, she slowly made her way up to the loft area. She smiled to herself when she found him, books scattered around and his eyes locked to a telescope.

"You're here...later than usual." His voice was level, inhumanly smooth.

She felt her face getting hot, and hoped she wasn't blushing already.

"Yeah, um... There was just a lot of things I had to deal with." She nibbled on her lip, she really had to quit that. Wizard stood pondering for a moment.

"You're nervous...why?" Hikari sighed, she had tried to hard to try and find the simplest emotions hidden beneath Wizard's calm exterior. He had mastered reading her face, seemingly without even looking at her.

"There was just a lot on my mind...?" She offered. Wizard looked away.

"I have been... sensing your frustration." She relaxed a bit, _finally... lying is so difficult..._

"Why did..you pass out?" Hikari nearly fell off the chair she had leaned on.

_Lying is impossible... _

"It was nothing, really. I swear..." Wizard's gaze didn't let up, she felt herself cracking underneath the acid voice in her head screaming at her to tell him. "It was a slight panic attack..." She mumbled.

"So...there is something troubling you?"

She nodded her head slowly, losing control of her body. She didn't have the energy to lie anymore. She had hid everything for too long.

"Would you...tell me?"

She flinched, she hadn't realized she was biting her lip. It was red and had a pulsing, dull ache. She took a deep breath and decided it would be best to just dive in head first.

"Well...back in the city..."

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**Well...I know this was a long time coming, and I dropped this randomly and for seemingly no reason at all... Well I'm not done with it, just to let everyone know. I could throw every excuse in the book at you right now, school, my son, more school, chores, etc etc... but I'm just going to admit that I'm awful at scheduling my time and end up spending most of it screwing around with my friends and family. Hopefully I can get out a chapter every week or two, thats my goal. I hope you can bear with me. Appreciate your support! -Decki**


	5. Silence

***glances at date of last chapter uploaded* . Please don't hurt me, I really hope people are still interested in this story. Life is just a bit crazy at the moment. I was actually really lucky to get this one out... But either way, I'm really trying to work more often, and that means that I'll get chapters out faster. So... I hope this somewhat long update and its content makes up for the lack of chapter updates. 3-Decki**

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The air was cold. It was painful to breathe as she tore down the streets, not exactly caring who she knocked out of the way along the way. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was running from, but she knew that she had to move faster. That she had to get where she was going or something horrible was going to happen. She could feel the ache entering her chest, she didn't have the time to debate whether it was the air in her lungs or just the pure fear that was coursing through her shivering body. The air whipped around her in a flurry as she pushed herself harder. It was night. People were still trickling out of buildings, the thought fueled her desire to get away. To run. To just disappear. It wasn't by choice that her steps began to fall slower and slower. She turned into an alley and stumbled into the darkness, away from the people. She hid from the lights and sounds. She cowered behind a trash can and tried to still her breathing. She felt her heart beating a million miles a minute. She willed it not to beat out of her chest. She felt her breath catch in her throat. It all hurt. Her eyes were clouding over. She lay still and managed to glance up at the sky. She could barely make out the sprinkling of stars past all the lights of the big city. As her vision began to blur she managed to make out the form of a person approaching. She couldn't find the energy to run again. She wanted to ask him for help. She felt her mouth open, but she couldn't force the sound out. The world went black. _

_The man in the alley had saved her, the doctors said. She was in a severe state of shock after a panic attack. It was highly possible that she would have frozen to death had he not found her. She thanked him, and he smiled. She had flushed, his smile made her heart beat faster, but not in the way that hurt. _

_They met a few times after that, apparently he lived not far from her apartment building. She was glad. If he had lived anywhere else they would have never met again, not in a city this big. She thanked the heavens and all the stars that luck was on her side. _

_They spent more and more time together, it took them only weeks to get a schedule down. After schedule became second nature, they made more time for each other. She was happy. Her chest no longer was filled with the pressure that had caused her to run that night. It felt more like it was filled with a candle. A small warmth that danced whenever he was around. He was the breeze that teased the flames, blowing just barely enough to make them dance, and never hard enough to blow them out. It was new. It was nice. _

_They began to do more, spend more time together. They went to dinner. They spent time at each others houses. He would tease her about her reading material, and she would tease him about the messy rooms. _

_They walked at night. It was another thing she craved during the long days at work. She liked it the most when it was snowing, just like it was that night. Gentle flakes slowly drifting to the ground, wisps of white clinging to their hair. She would lean into his chest and he would drape his arm over her shoulder. _

"_What's so awful about this place?" He would ask occasionally. _

"_There's just... too much." She would offer._

_He would wait for her to continue, never pressing. _

"_These people... they are always going somewhere. There's no end to the flow. The lights are never off. They block the sky most nights. And during the day its impossible to get around without running into people. No one cares. I can look at the people here, and out of a crowd I'll only be able to pick out a few faces I can recognize. Even out of the people I can recognize, there's no connection. It's just a bunch of people running around. There's no sense of... belonging. There's no sense of... happiness. There's so many people that its impossible to feel a connection"_

_He would wrap his arms around her tighter, and they would stop walking to soak in the moment. They would stand in the middle of the sidewalk, people huffing around them. They might have had their places to go, but she was happy right where she was. _

"_I'm here for you...I love you Hikari."_

"_I love you too..."_

Her eyes watered as she told the story...

His multi-colored eyes remained the same, impossible to read. Not that she was trying, she was more interested in picking at the fibers on the couch.

"What..."

She shook her head.

"Let me calm down first...please?" She wasn't angry... even he could hear the hint of desperation in her voice.

He waited patiently, perfectly still. She wondered briefly if that was due to his age, maybe it came with the territory of near-immortality. She took a deep breath before diving into the pain of the past.

"He... he was always there for me. It wasn't a question. It was like day and night. It just _was_. There was no doubting it. And... and I hurt him. That's all there is to know. He'd never forgive me... but I did what I thought was right and now there's no going back."

He leaned in. Her breathing hitched, only to return to normal when he wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Would you go back... if you had the chance?"

She glanced past him, not looking at anything in particular, letting the question tumble through her mind for a few short moments.

"I suppose I wouldn't... I would change the way I did things...but I'm happy here."

He nodded, such a slight tilt of the head that anyone who hadn't spent the time getting to know him would have missed it. She felt new. Refreshed? Fixed? She didn't know the word, but it made her feel good. It made her feel brave.

As the white-haired man sitting next to her went to turn away, for whatever reason, it made her brain short. She had to try it. She had to know.

She didn't have the chance to talk herself out of it before she had thrown herself toward him. His eyes momentarily betrayed his shock as she threw her arms around his neck and settled herself on his lap. She looked deep into his confused eyes, hoping hers were displaying some sort of confidence as she slowly pressed her lips to his. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling. The candle burned bright in her chest, the feeling of warmth flooded her. She shuddered at the rush of energy her limbs felt. She wasn't sure if he had relaxed the slightest bit, she couldn't bring herself to pay attention. She wished she could just stay like this, just relax in his arms and never leave the small house filled with things from all corners of the globe, with shelves filled to the brim with books written in languages long forgotten, and never leave the presence of this warmth. All to quickly she felt his arms wrap around her wrists. He abruptly pushed her to the cushion next to him, his eyes glazed over and breathing a bit heavier than usual. She looked down, ashamed. The flame that had so readily filled her chest quickly died in the silence that smothered her. She glanced around the room, hoping to find something to hint that this was all just a dream, something to help her figure out what made her think that would work. She refused to look at him as he stood up. She kept her gaze on the floor as he walked across the room. She waited.

She wasn't sure what she was waiting for... but she waited...


End file.
